Nike uses AR to sell hyped sneakers

Athletic apparel kingpin and legendary sneaker specialist Nike has found a new way to sell ‘hyped’ sneakers: augmented reality. By ‘hyped’ we mean sneakers that are part of a limited edition run, or exclusive in some other way – and Nike is the reigning king of such things. And by augmented reality (AR), we mean the blending of real life and virtual reality through smartphone screens.

AR hit the headlines in 2016 when Pokémon Go took the gaming world by storm. The original Pokémon was a card-and-video game that let kids hunt magical creatures. Pokémon Go updated it for the modern age, and used AR to let players look at the world through their smartphones, finding those creatures out and about. Nike’s use of the technology, of course, is somewhat different.

Nike’s had a great month, seeing its share price rise by 7% in 30 days

SOURCE: Yahoo Finance

In an app exclusively for iOS (sorry Android users – maybe your time will come later) Nike fans can now order pairs of the company’s SB Dunk High Pro “Momofuku” sneakers, designed with famous chef David Chang. Users of its SNKRS app can just point their phone at the menu in Chang’s Fuku restaurant in New York (or posters, or online menus) and be given the chance to purchase a pair of the prestigious shoes.

This is a great way for Nike to get its products into people’s hands, and experiment with interactions between the virtual and actual world. Sadly, the company has had sell these sought after shoes online to avoid crime (people have been murdered for their Air Jordans). But that bought another problems: bots clogging up social media sites. AR looks like a winning solution.

Nike’s president of Direct to Consumer Business, Heidi O’Neill, told listeners at a conference that SNKRS "has come very close to eliminating bots, and taking the sneaker hunt [to] as close to a fair game [as] it is anywhere in the industry." Unsurprisingly, the company plans to continue experimenting with AR.

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